Something Wicked
by enigma013
Summary: Rosalie Fox, better known as just Fox, was only supposed to be a legend. Snow White knew better, however, and knew that the mysterious girl may be her only chance to return to Storybrooke. Captain Hook was simply in it for himself... or was he? When Snow and the gang must travel to the Infinite Forest, they find that getting home is not the only problem they face. AU Hook/OC
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon A Time.**

**A/N: All right… I've had so much trouble writing lately due to… cough cough, love, cough… (How horrible is that?) But this idea has been nagging at me and I need to get it down. I know I am in the middle of a TVD fic… I am not abandoning it, I promise. But I need the inspiration to write right now, and this is it. **

**Now I know, I know… Will I ever NOT use an OC? It is truly my weakness… I am sorry. But I think you'll like this one. Definitely not Mary-Sueish. She'll really add to the plot I'm going to use and I think you'll be really interested in her, because I can really see her fitting into the whole OUAT storyline. **

**FYI this will be AU. It will not be following anything from the show except for having Hook, Emma, Snow, Mulan, and Aurora all in Fairytale land. I love that place. And yes… I have fallen for Hook. So this, although will not be one-hundred percent centered on him, will most definitely be about him mainly and will be exploring his character a little more. I may use some sort of storyline for Storybrooke, too, I haven't decided yet.**

**I will definitely not have an A/N like this at the beginning of every chapter. This is just lettin' you know what's up. **

**Okay done, promise!**

* * *

**PROLOGUE**

Emma shoved Captain Hook forward unceremoniously, earning a displeased grunt from the pirate before he gave her an irritating smirk.

"Careful, love," he said haughtily. "Save that spirit for later." He winked at her, to which he earned a harder push. Hook laughed.

Emma scowled at the prisoner as he walked ahead on the intended path, his hands bound—well, hand. "We couldn't just leave him to the ogres?"

Even Mulan's forever indifferent expression appeared annoyed. "We could always call them back."

"String him up in a tree," Emma supplied thoughtfully.

"Watch while they eat him," Mulan agreed. Aurora, who trailed behind Mulan, tried not to smile at the thought.

Snow White—(or Mary-Margaret? Emma wondered)—made a face at the two. "As much as I'd like to see that, we may need him."

"For what, exactly?" Emma prodded. "He's not exactly great company."

"I can be _thrilling_ company," Hook said from the front, the innuendo drenching his tone. "I could show you if you'd like."

Emma had to physically restrain herself from throwing a rock at the back of his head. It would be childish, she told herself.

"He may know more of Cora's plans," Snow said. "If she expected him to spy on us, then she gave him something to look for. We need to stay a step ahead of her."

"Fine," Emma acquiesced. "Then where are we going?"

Snow pressed her lips into a tight line. It was strange to see Snow White and Mary-Margaret as the same person—although they looked the same and sometimes acted the same, that hard, dogged expression did not belong to Mary-Margaret the school teacher. "To get help."

Mulan looked at Snow sharply. "Help?"

"Yes," Snow said as indifferently as she could manage. "I have a… friend… we can go to."

Emma may not have known Snow White for very long, but she knew Mary-Margaret. She could hear the unease in her light tone.

"What kind of friend?" Emma fished warily.

"The kind that'll understand the problem we're in," Snow said cryptically.

Mulan drew to a stop. Ahead of them, where Hook was blindly picking his way through the worn path, he came to a stop as well, sensing the shift in the air. The dark haired pirate turned and glanced at the three women, an eyebrow quirked impatiently.

Mulan was gazing at Snow as if trying to read her mind. "Where are we going?"

Snow didn't meet her gaze. "To the Infinite Forest."

It grew very quiet. Not even the birds chirped.

"What?" Emma asked tactlessly, trying to gauge everyone's reactions. "What's the Infinite Forest?"

Mulan squared her jaw. "Not a place worth visiting."

Surprisingly, Aurora spoke up. "Is that not a place of banishment? A curse?"

"It's a forest just like any other," Snow said a little too sharply. She continued walking, glaring at Hook, prompting him to move forward again. The others followed slowly behind. Emma and Aurora exchanged puzzled looks while Mulan stormed after Snow.

"It's a wretched place," Mulan said vehemently. "Of monsters and spirits. What kind of friend would you find there?"

"The kind that has experience with dark magic," Snow said. "Which is the kind of help we need."

"Dark magic?" Mulan sounded almost accusing. "You aren't serious."

"I am," Snow challenged, canting her head at the warrior. "There's nowhere else I can think of to go. She wouldn't abuse the magic—it's the reason why she's there in the first place. To avoid it. But she's the only option we have."

"And who exactly is 'she'?"

"Rosalie," Snow said carefully, holding her breath. "Rosalie Fox." She waited for their reactions. They came promptly, in a dizzying variety.

Hook clicked his tongue in interest, a strange light in his eyes as if there were gears turning in his head. Emma stared at Snow vacantly, waiting for an elaboration. Aurora's eyes were wide and fearful; her step faltered and her foot caught on a large root protruding from the ground. Mulan was very hard to look at—the warrior was seething, her dark eyes narrowed and judging, forcing Snow to come to a stop again.

"Rosalie Fox," Mulan repeated. "The kitsune."

"You say that as if it's a disease."

"It is," Mulan spat. "It is common knowledge that all kitsune are killers."

Snow gritted her teeth together. "And what about you? Have you never killed?"

Mulan looked away.

"You can't judge her," Snow said icily. "You don't even know her."

"Predators are predators, Snow. They cannot change what is in their nature."

"Then clearly you know nothing of nature."

The tension in the air was thick, gathering in Emma's lungs almost painfully. She glanced between the two strong-willed women. "Listen, if this _kitsune_," she tried out the word, "can get me back to my son, then I'm willing to give her a chance." She gave Mulan a firm look. "Whether you come with us or not."

Mulan looked very much like she wanted to say something, but bit back whatever it was. She clenched her fists together and nodded stiffly, giving Snow a long hard look before pushing Hook forward and continuing on.

Snow looked after them, lingering a moment with Emma.

"Are we gonna be okay?" Emma asked suddenly.

Snow looked at her. She offered a small, uneasy smile. "Yes," she said. "I promise."

* * *

**Review if you're interested. I think this is a promising fic.**


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon A Time**

* * *

**ONE**

The fire crackled viscously in front of Emma as she held out her hands to warm them. Night had fallen hours ago and the lack of sunlight allowed a biting chill to settle in. Mulan was on first watch for the night, and Emma was preparing to take the second. She couldn't sleep anyway. Something about Fairytale land gave her the spooks, and as much as she hated to admit it, it was getting to her.

None of this should be real.

That's what her mind kept urging her to think. This isn't real. She was probably just dreaming. All of Henry's stories have finally gotten to her and her brain is concocting an elaborate tale in her sleep.

But she wasn't sleeping. She knew she wasn't. So how was she supposed to deal with all this? Her mother was Snow White. Her father was Prince Charming.

Did that make her fucking Goldilocks?

At this point, she really wouldn't be surprised.

Leaves crumbled beneath Mulan's feet as she approached Emma, stiff-backed and alert as always. Did the warrior never get tired?

"You're sure you want second shift?" She asked Emma, her voice low so as not to wake the others.

Emma nodded. "Got nothing better to do."

Mulan looked as if she wanted to say something. "Okay." She lingered a moment, which was unusual for the warrior.

Emma raised an eyebrow. "What's up?"

Mulan pressed her lips together, glancing at the sleeping form of Snow just feet away. "You're new here and unaccustomed to our land. You don't know of our legends or our monsters."

"Okay…" Emma prompted, shifting on the ground uncomfortably. "And?"

"And I'm not sure that Snow is thinking very rationally about this. She wants to get back to the land you came from—she is desperate to. But this isn't the way."

"You mean going to the kitsune," Emma clarified. "To the Infinite Forest."

"The Forest is a place of nightmares," Mulan said. "Even the most fearsome warriors would never go there."

This caught Emma's interest. And she'd really give anything to distract herself from thinking about 'Mom' and 'Dad' or what could be happening to Henry back in Storybrooke. "Why not? What's so scary about it?"

Mulan's expression was strained as if she was afraid to even speak of it. "It is notoriously haunted. Some say that simply staying one night there can drive one to madness—there are hallucinations, ghosts, and demons that roam the land. And it is almost always nighttime there."

"Then why would this Rosalie live there?"

"Rosalie Fox was only a legend as far as I knew." Mulan's eyes grazed over the edges of the looming darkness surrounding them, as if she expected this Rosalie to emerge from the shadows. "The tale is that she is very old, but looks only like a girl. She murdered her parents and her brothers in cold blood in her village a long time ago—before the Ogre Wars. The village people tried to hunt her down but she disappeared. Wherever she's rumored to emerge, horrific deaths follow." Mulan's gaze was chilling. "If she is real, she is the most dangerous monster in that forest."

Emma's eyes flicked over to Mary-Margaret. She bit her lip and worried it between her teeth. "But Mary-M—_Snow_—thinks she could help us." She gave Mulan a pleading look. "I have to at least try. For my son."

Mulan gave a short, unhappy nod. "I understand. I just thought you should know."

* * *

The night seemed to be endless. When the sun finally rose, Emma felt something in her chest lighten. She'd had all night to think of what Mulan had said to her about Rosalie Fox. She wasn't sure what a kitsune was, but apparently it wasn't something she wanted to run into if she got lost around here. She watched Mary-Margaret out of the corner of her eye as she readied herself to continue their journey. Her shoulders were tense and her eyes were bloodshot as if she hadn't gotten enough sleep.

Snow looked up; there was a flash in her eyes that made Emma's stomach twist up. Snow had definitely heard Emma's conversation with Mulan in the night.

"Ready?" Snow asked, slinging her pack over her shoulder.

Emma frowned. "Listen—"she started, but Snow cut her off with a smile.

"It's okay, Emma," Snow said gently. "But we should really get going. It's day here, but in the Infinite forest the sun only rises for four hours. We'll want to get there before it sets again."

Emma grabbed Snow's arm before she could turn away, giving her a pleading look. "You're sure this girl can help us?"

"Positive," Snow said. A frown threatened to emerge on her lips, but she forced it away. "The problem will be convincing her."

As if on cue, Hook, who stood several paces away, smirked. "I can think of a way or two."

Emma scowled at him. "Can we gag him, too?" she asked Snow.

Snow almost grinned. "I don't see why not."

A nearly disgruntled look overcame Hook's expression. He narrowed his eyes at the mother and daughter. "If I'm walking to my death, I'd like to at least voice my concerns. I've heard of the Fox girl."

Aurora, who carried nothing, _ever_, widened her eyes again, looking up from where she was gathering the water. "We're truly going to the Infinite Forest, then?" Her expression was tight.

Mulan was tense as usual. She stood off to the side, her hand resting on the pommel of her sword. "We'll be fine, Aurora."

Aurora didn't look convinced. "My father used to tell me stories of Rosalie Fox. They were never good."

"That's enough," Snow spoke up, giving everyone a hard, lingering look. "We're going to the Infinite Forest. If you don't want to come, you're free to leave." Before Hook could speak up, she added hastily, "Except you, Hook."

The group fell silent. Mulan stared at the ground. "Then we should leave before darkness falls. The sun will set in the Forest in a matter of hours."

Snow took this as a sign of peace. She nodded. "Let's go."

* * *

The Infinite Forest was not at all what Emma had expected. There wasn't a black cloud hovering over the sky, it didn't reek of death, and she hardly saw a creature pass them after an hour's trek inside of it. It looked just like any forest—green, shadowed, and surprisingly peaceful.

However, as Mulan and Snow had warned, the sun was quick to settle beneath the horizon. Emma discovered that during the day the Forest was almost pleasant. But when darkness fell she could see where it had earned its terrible reputation.

Shadows gathered almost immediately within pockets of trees and underbrush. Aside from the firelight of Mulan's torch guiding them, they were surrounded by shadow figures. Noises began to brew from every direction; the ominous snapping of twigs in the distance, hinting that a creature much larger than them was roaming the woods. Emma swallowed down her anxiety, noticing with a bit of unease that the others had to as well. It was unnerving to see Mulan, who had otherwise been so fearless and steadfast, appear out of sorts.

Hook was perhaps the most relaxed. He walked just ahead of Mulan so that she may keep an eye on him (and let's be honest, just in case some beast wanted to pick them off and went for the leader.) His face was expressionless; he hardly seemed stiff when he walked and didn't much flinch at the strange rustling around him. The others watched him cautiously. No one said a word.

The silence was finally broken when Mulan began biting her lip, looking in every direction as if for a sign.

"You said we would cross a stream if we continued north," she said in a low voice to Snow. "How much further?"

Snow blinked and peered around. "We should have crossed it by now." A thick quiet followed. "Maybe I misjudged the distance. It's hard to tell in the dark."

Some sort of birdlike creature screamed out in the distance. Aurora flinched. She was shivering fiercely.

"What was that?" she asked.

She was greatly ignored.

"Which way, then?" Mulan questioned. She shifted the torch, illuminating as much as the shadows as she could. The darkness seemed almost impenetrable.

Snow frowned. "This way," she said, starting towards a thick grove of pine trees.

Mulan watched her with uncertainty. "We just came from that way."

Snow stopped. "No. We came from there." She pointed back to a clearing.

The group became restless. Emma shifted on her feet, glancing every which way. She noticed Aurora was growing impossibly more fearful.

"Don't you hear that?" Aurora asked, voice trembling. "Do none of you hear that?"

Mulan was startled. "Hear what? What's wrong?"

Aurora flinched, jumping back from the edge of the trail. She pinched her eyes shut. "It's coming," she sobbed. "It's coming this way. It's heard us."

Mulan stepped up to Aurora, grabbing the princess by the arms. "Aurora. Aurora, I think you're hallucinating. There's nothing coming this way. We don't hear anything. There's nothing—"

Mulan was cut off by another screech. It was much closer this time, forcing them all to jump. They folded into each other quickly, pushing their backs against one another as they glanced around every which way. Mulan gripped Aurora, pushing the girl behind her protectively.

Emma grabbed Snow unconsciously. "What is that?"

Snow shook her head. "I'm not sure."

The leaves above them rattled and shook as if something large stamped through the forest. Mulan swallowed hard.

"The fire," she said. "It must be attracted to the light."

"Then get rid of it!" Emma shouted.

Mulan grabbed her canteen and doused the torch. There was a popping, sizzling sound before the fire was extinguished and complete darkness fell upon the women.

Emma strained her eyes to see. She glanced around them warily as the monster continued to approach. Suddenly, she said, "Guys… Where's Hook?"

* * *

It was not Captain Hook's first time in the Infinite Forest, though he had hoped he would never have to walk in the depths of these woods again. He carefully yet quickly navigated his way through the dark, stepping over logs and pushing his way through clearings of tall grasses, eager to escape. For one, he wasn't too fond of being help captive; for another, he knew where they were headed, and was hardly one to go on a suicide mission. Rosalie Fox was not one to trifle with if the legends were true.

The ground shook beneath his feet, throwing him off balance. He could hear the women off in the distance, their shrill voices calling out to him. He didn't think they'd be quick to let him escape, but he certainly hadn't expected them to pursue him with the beast on their trail.

The rope binding his wrists was quickly become a burden. He would stumble every now and then—even his eyes were no match to the darkness of the forest—and he had no way to right himself without awkwardly shoving both wrists and elbows outward. He scowled to himself.

There was a great rumbling noise behind him. He listened a moment and realized that the women had begun screaming his name now. Something wasn't right. The beast should be taking up their full attention; they shouldn't even have a spare moment to give his escape a thought.

But if the beast hadn't gone after them…

Fuck. Just his luck.

Hook doubled his pace, straining to at least retain some sense of caution as he pushed his way through the underbrush. Who knew what other monsters lurked in these depths? He knew, actually. He remembered quite vividly what he had run into the last time he had visited the Forest.

He did not care to encounter such a monster again.

The thunderous noise was swiftly approaching Hook. He ground his teeth together and marched on, refusing to look backward and waste that kind of time. If only he could find a den of sorts, or a hollow in a tree. Some form of refuge to wait out the night…

He wasn't able to finish that train of thought. A terribly solid force swept at him from behind; something akin to a boulder connected with his shoulder and sent him flying forward. He threw his wrists out to brace his fall, which did little good given the binds. The wind had been knocked from his lungs; he struck the trunk of a tree and slid towards the ground, gasping for breath all the same.

Hook lifted his head. Before him, raised back on its haunches and towering at its full height was a beast of unnamed sorts; a creature he had never seen in his three hundred years living. It was as big as a giant but distorted and morphed into something more animalistic than humanoid. It roared, a deep, guttural noise, before raising a paw-like limb to swipe at him again.

"Bloody hell," he cursed under his breath.

The creature's paw was coming down as fast as lightning; Hook didn't think he had a chance.

He hadn't been anticipating a blow from the side. Something much smaller than the beast had flown towards him and knocked him off balance, sending him sprawling down into the underbrush. He caught a brief glimpse of a dark cloak billowing out behind the newcomer, but could make out nothing more.

Then, as if spurred simply by will, a flame erupted in the air, hovering over a small hand. It grew and grew until it was a blazing fire, threatening to leap onto the beast and consume it. The creature wailed, a mind-splitting sound, before rearing back and rumbling off into the darkness.

Hook didn't have time to deliberate what just happened. He heard the cloak flap in the air as its owner twirled around. The fire had disappeared—where it came from, he didn't know. Then a fist came down upon his head and the darkness of the forest could not compare to the darkness of his mind.

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**A/N: Thank you for the reviews/favorites/follows. I think you guys will like where this is heading. We're going to see some more fairytale characters that have yet to be introduced in the show. I want to give you guys a hint as to the mix I'm going to use… but you'll just have to see. (:**

**Review please. (:**


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon A Time**

* * *

**TWO**

"He couldn't possibly be alive," Mulan said. "You saw what that beast looked like. It must've eaten him whole."

From where she sat up against the base of a tree, Snow looked out a gap within the canopy where she could just make out the lightening horizon. "It surpassed us. Why do you think that is?"

"Maybe it found him just as annoying as we did," Emma guessed.

Snow gave her daughter a disparaging look.

"What?" Emma said innocently. "You know you were thinking the same thing."

"I've never seen such a monster in my life," Aurora said quietly. She sat close to Mulan; the girl-warrior had quickly become the damsel's protector without having to exchange a single word. They had a connection no one else could understand—they both lost Phillip. Aurora, chilled to the bone after their close encounter, was wringing her hands together. "Do you think it'll come back for us?"

"I don't think it even noticed us," Snow said a little distantly. "It seemed to know what it was after."

"Hook," Emma finished what no one wanted to say. "But why? Why him?"

Snow's shoulders rose in a shrug. "Maybe he had something on him that attracted it to him."

Emma tried not to smirk.

Snow rolled her eyes. "_Not_ what I meant."

"We can't stay here," Mulan spoke up. She, too, glanced out at the rising sun. "We'll only have daylight for a few short hours. We should get moving."

"We're still going to Rosalie Fox?" Aurora asked incredulously. "Was the monster not enough of a sign? This is not a good idea."

Snow canted her head stubbornly. "We aren't turning around."

* * *

There was a deep, vibrating throb growing in the core of Hook's head. He groaned and lifted his hand to touch his forehead. He couldn't—his wrists were still bound. If he strained to recall the details, he remembered being prisoner of Snow White and her motley gang. And she had led them into a forest. The Infinite Forest.

Fuck.

The last thing he remembered was hazy. There had been that monster chasing him… and then… _something_. No. Some_one_. Someone had knocked him aside. Probably Mulan or Snow, considering they valued the information he had.

So without any consideration as to who he might be with, he tried to peel his eyes open. They protested and strained when met with the blinding rays of the sun. He allowed them to adjust a moment before glancing around.

Before he could so much as notice the strange carved walls of a cave surrounding him, the pommel of a sword appeared in his vision. Startled, he looked to its owner.

It was a woman, but it was definitely not one of the women he had traveled here with. She had fiery red hair and dark eyes; the hood of a cloak was draped over her head, casting her face in shadows as she faced away from the sun. He could just make out that she was glaring at him.

"Make a sound," she said in a low, threatening voice, "and I'll knock you out again."

Hook let his eyes travel between the sword and her eyes, quirking an eyebrow up. "Miss Fox, I take it?"

She didn't seem at all surprised to discover that he knew who she was. She didn't even blink. "And you're Five Finger Nelly?" she asked, sarcasm lacing her tone.

Hook's eyes narrowed. "The legends didn't mention you had a sense of humor."

He thought she would smirk, but she didn't. Instead she sat back on her legs and studied him carefully, the way a serpent might assess a meal.

"You're not one of Jafar's trackers, are you?" she finally asked.

Hook tried not to show his confusion. "Pardon?"

"Judging by how you were running from the beast last night and your obvious inexperience in the outdoors, I would guess you wandered in the Forest by mistake. Though what of your bindings?" she asked more to herself than to him. "You're a prisoner?"

"Obvious inexperience outdoors?" Hook was utterly offended. "I was being pursued by a demon. Forgive my haste."

Rosalie matched his quirked eyebrow. "A demon?"

"Yes," he said a little sharper than needed. "Did you not see the beast?"

"It was a beast, yes," the fiery girl said, seemingly amused. "But no demon."

"And how would you know?"

"Because it was tracking me, that's how." Rosalie stood. A scowl found its way onto her lips as she gathered several pouches and weapons strewn throughout the small cavern. Her interest in Hook seemed to have faded, and she prepared herself to leave.

"Tracking you?"

"Listen," she said as if he hadn't spoken. "I shall leave a fire for you. Whomever you're traveling with will see the smoke and come looking. You're welcome."

Hook sat up fully; he tried to reach for a dagger near his foot, but his bound wrists were tied to a long-dead tree stump, and would hardly budge an inch.

"Or you can free me," Hook offered. "And I will tell you what it is I am doing here."

Rosalie didn't pause. She strapped a sword to her hip. "And why would I be interested in that?"

"Because it has everything to do you with, love." Hook smirked up at her, waiting for her to take the bait.

She didn't. "Most things around here do," was all she said. She leaned over a small fire Hook had yet to notice and supplied more tinder to the flames. It ate them up hungrily.

"You aren't the least bit curious?"

Rosalie only gave him a mischievous smile. "Curiosity cuts deeper than a blade."

Without further ceremony, she disappeared out the mouth of the cave. Hook watched, his agitation growing as smoke billowed outwards after her, and wondered just how long it would take for the others to come find him.

"Bloody women," he cursed.

* * *

It was strange to be in a forest but hear no birds singing. Emma pondered over this as she picked her way across a trail behind Snow.

Aurora had been spinning tales of doubt since they began walking nearly an hour earlier. Even Mulan, who had more patience when it came to the helpless princess, was growing annoyed.

"She may not even return you to your land," Aurora said, glancing around the sunlit forest uneasily. "She's a kitsune—they're tricksters. Mischievous things, the whole lot of them."

Emma tried not to roll her eyes. "Well, then, what's a kitsune, anyway? You've all been talking about it, but have yet to go into detail."

Aurora was unsure of herself. "I only know what my father has told me."

"Which, evidently, is enough to get us to turn around," Emma said dryly.

Mulan had had enough. "A kistune is a fox. Hence the name Rosalie Fox. They are spirit creatures and shape shifters. Most legends paint them as wicked creatures with a thirst for blood or money. They deceive all those that are loyal to them." Mulan gave Snow a pointed look.

"Rosalie is different," Snow insisted defensively. "She banished herself from civilization as punishment for what she did. She wants redemption."

"That's exactly what a kitsune would lead you to believe," Mulan said. "Before stabbing you in the back. Or rather, biting."

"Feel free to make your own assessment of her once you meet her," Snow said with finality, signaling the end of the discussion. "Until then, keep your thoughts to yourself."

A silence descended on the group as they continued their trek. Snow navigated her way through the thick forest, slashing through thickets and bushes with her sword when needed. Emma's gaze drifted every now and then; even the air in this world felt different. Lighter, somehow. She never felt one-hundred percent like herself here; something was missing.

As her eyes flicked over the tips of pine trees and looming walls of rock, she caught sight of something strange.

"Guys," she said. "I thought people didn't live in this forest."

Mulan shrugged. "They don't."

Emma paused. "So where's that smoke coming from?"

Everyone stopped. Heads canted towards where Emma was gesturing. Snow's eyes narrowed in confusion; she kept her sword drawn and walked carefully through a patchwork of roots to approach the billow of smoke.

"It's a cave," she announced. "Up on the face of that rock."

"Is it Rosalie, you think?" Emma asked.

"No," Snow sounded very sure. "She would never give herself away like that. Not unless she wanted to be found." She glanced back at Emma. "Stay here. I'll check it out."

Emma nearly snorted. "Stay here my ass," she muttered. She exchanged looks with Mulan; they all followed behind Snow, who began scaling the rock wall up to the cave entrance. It didn't take very long; the mass of rock had worn hand and foot holds within it, hinting that someone had used this place often. Snow pulled herself up into the cave a moment later, shocked by what she found.

Hook sat on the far side, tied to a rotted tree stump, looking entirely bored out of his mind. He rolled his eyes at Snow as she gaped at him and tugged on his bindings once more.

"Took you long enough."

Emma was standing beside her mother a moment later. She glanced at Hook, let the realization sink in, and scowled. "Damn."

Hook smirked at her. "Miss me, darling?"

"Hardly. I liked you better dead."

Hook glared.

* * *

"She just left you? Without saying anything else?"

Hook sucked in a breath with exaggerated patience. "Yes," he nearly huffed. "As I have repeated nearly four times now."

Snow White worried her lip between her teeth, thinking. After getting Hook down the rock wall and back on the ground, they paused in their trek to consider this new information: Rosalie was around. But she was being tracked by something? A beast?

"She didn't say why it was after her?"

Hook stared at Snow as if he were speaking to a slow child. "No."

The sun was at its peak in the sky; beams of light streamed down through the canopy, illuminating patches of bright green grass here and there. It didn't look like the kind of forest monsters lurked in.

Snow turned and walked in one direction before stopping again, pausing right before a patch of light. She frowned. "Well we won't be able to track her down during the day. But we can go to her den—it's really not far from here—and we'll see if she returns to it at nightfall. But now I'm not sure. Not if this creature is hunting her."

"Why can't we track her down right now?" Emma asked a little impatiently.

"Daylight," Snow said simply. "She'll be in fox form."

"That explains why she was in such a tizzy," Hook grumbled.

Emma's forehead crinkled. "Daylight does it? Every day?"

"Yes, which is why she chose to live here. There are only four hours of daylight in the Infinite Forest."

"If her den is close, we should reach it by sundown," Mulan said. "We'll need to make camp there. I'm not going to risk walking through the forest at night again."

Snow nodded.

By the time the sun was nearing the horizon, the group of five was coming upon their destination. Snow recognized the spot by a series of tiny, nearly imperceptible holes in the ground. Hook's feet would catch several times in the holes; he'd stumble and curse until he came across another. Everyone pretended to be oblivious to his agitation. Snow, focused solely on the task at hand, began confidently walking ahead of the others.

"Up here," she said. "The entrance is right through those trees."

Mulan's face tightened with anxiety. "How long ago were you here last?"

Snow tried not to share in the worry. "It'll still be there. I know it."

The group followed her into a small clearing. Straight across from them was a series of toppled trees; if one didn't look very closely, they wouldn't see the dark entrance to an underground den and would pass right by it.

Three steps into the clearing, Snow stopped dead in her tracks. She put an arm out, signaling for the others to stop behind her.

All around them, a countless number of bows and arrows were pulled at ready, targeting the small group in the center of the clearing.

A broad shouldered man stepped out from the circle, meeting Snow's gaze solemnly. "Your weapons," he said. "On the ground. Now."

Snow had been so eager to get to the den, she didn't even think about walking right into an ambush.

* * *

**A/N: Busy busy, I know. It'll all come together in the next chapter. Can we guess who the man is? I didn't give much of a description on purpose… But who uses a bow and arrow and lives in the woods? (: Thanks for all the favorites/follows/reviews! So… Review again!(:**


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